


Vessel

by Challa



Category: Ghost Adventures RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-09
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-02-24 16:51:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2589062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Challa/pseuds/Challa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After working as a paranormal investigator for years, Zak Bagans has reached a point in his life where he can no longer separate the living world from the dead. Tormented by demons, spirits and malicious energies, he seeks help from Dr.Watson - a psychiatrist with no belief of the supernatural. While trying to help Zak gain control of his hysteria, Dr.Watson finds herself grasping at straws as she's pulled into a world of darkness.<br/>Who will save who in the end?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick.  
The clock on the wall ticked away, the seconds mockingly getting slower, louder and more unbearable with every new tick emitting from the round mechanical decoration. The black numbers burned against the white interior within the copper-colored frame, disrupting the cool background with their sharp and bold edges.  
  
He shifted in his seat, leaning back against the too heavily stuffed backrest of the dark blue sofa.  
 _‘Time, man’s worst enemy’_ he thought to himself as he watched as another lap around the circular machinery had passed.  
He sighed quietly and dug his hand down his pocket; fishing up his black cell-phone and opening his text-messages. Composing a new text to Aaron; he quickly jotted down “You’re so gonna pay for this”  
Aaron replied about half a minute later, saying: “It’s for your own good, bro. It can’t get any worse”  
Huffing at his friend’s reply; he shifted yet again and glanced back at the round clock. He’d been stuck in the waiting room for 15 minutes. 15 minutes of complete silence, save from that obnoxious ticking that never seemed to end. 15 minutes he could have spent in his car, driving back to Aaron’s to kick his ass for getting him to agree to this.  
  
The sharp sound of heels click-clacking against the off-white floor behind him brought him back from his musings. He tilted his head a bit, seeing the back of a woman hurrying down the hallway while the footsteps slowly died down.  
  
“Dr.Watson is ready to see you now,” A soft voice spoke up from the other corner of the room. He turned his head towards the sound and laid his eyes on a slightly short female with chestnut-brown hair tied up in a bun at the back of her head. “Sorry to keep you waiting. This way, please,” She added in a meek voice while her brown eyes studied her feet. A light shade of pink clad her cheeks and he inwardly groaned at her weak attempt of hiding her embarrassment.  
  
Standing from his previously relaxed position on the sofa, he shoved his cell-phone down his pocket and took two long strides toward the nurse. She took a small step backward, an obvious attempt of putting some space in between them, and turned on her heel.  
  
“This way, please” She said again and offered him a quick smile.  
  
Zak obliged and fell into step right behind her, happy to finally get away from the awful clock in the waiting room.  
  
The hallway was brightly lit. The walls were covered in an eggshell colored wallpaper with a thick blue line stretching from one corner of the corridor to the other in a wave-like pattern. Doors were lined systematically along the corridor. Some had a red little lamp lit next to the name-tag, signaling that the person on the other side of the door was busy with a patient. The smell of freshly brewed coffee reached his nostrils as they passed an open door to what seemed to be the staff-room. He quickly glanced into the room and was met with a smile and nod from an elderly lady sipping her coffee before he steered his attention back to the girl as she suddenly rounded a corner, nearly crashing into another nurse whose attention was elsewhere.  
  
“I’m sorry,” The younger of the two apologized, her eyes shifting downward yet again.  
  
The elder gave no reply as she hugged a file of papers close to her chest and hurriedly continued into what seemed to be her office.  
  
The younger nurse stopped in front of a half-open door and gave a quick rap with her knuckles against it. “Dr. Watson,” she called out as she gently pushed the door open. “Mr. Bagans is here to see you,”  
  
“Send him in,” A voice called from the dark room and the nurse took a step back, nodded towards Zak and hurried away after that.  
  
Zak took a step toward the door and was just about to reach for the handle when the door suddenly swung open completely, revealing a woman in her mid thirties standing about a foot from him.  
  
“I am so sorry to have kept you waiting. Traffic was terrible,” She blurted out and stepped aside to allow him to enter fully. “Please, take a seat. Zak, was it?” She continued as she closed the door and flipped a switch which turned the red light on, on the other side of the door.  
  
Shuffling toward her desk, she quickly grabbed a notebook and a pen before turning to face him. “Where are my manners?” She scolded herself and stretched her right arm out to shake his. “Dr. Watson, hi,” She flashed him a smile and motioned for him to sit again. She sat down in the one unoccupied dark blue armchair across the small table from Zak’s identical one and lifted one hand to pat at the top of her head and brought the pair of glasses resting there back down to rest against her nose.  
  
“So, Zak. I understood you’re here of your own free will.” She stated as she scribbled a few words onto the the empty page of her notebook. “Are you okay with me taking notes?”  
  
She lifted her gaze for a second. Her hazel eyes meeting his for the first time, searching and observing his blue ones for any hint of emotion.  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“What brings you here?” She asked as she wrote a couple of more words onto the open page without breaking eye-contact with the dark-haired man.  
  
He shifted in his seat, his eyes wavering for a second as he quickly glanced to his right. His right foot rested slightly over his left knee and his left hand picked at a few white short strands of fur that had stuck to his black pants. Lightly scratching his chin, he turned his attention back towards the doctor.  
  
“Do you believe in ghosts?” He challenged. “Do you believe in life after death?”  
  
He watched her intently, watched as she stilled her pen and lowered her notebook. Her eyes met his again and she blinked once - twice before giving him a small smile.  
  
“No.”  
  
“Do you believe there’s a parallel world next to ours? A different dimension that we can sometime peek into?” He asked, his eyes never leaving hers.  
  
She seemed to be contemplating on how to formulate her reply. By the way he had phrased his questions; it was rather obvious to her that he honestly believed in the supernatural, which she on the other hand, did not. “I believe our minds can trick us into believing there is a different world inside of the one we live in,” she said slowly. “I also believe _that_ in itself is a defense mechanism we put up in order to shield ourselves from harm.”  
  
He leaned back in his seat at that and folded his hands in his lap, quietly watching her and waiting for her to deliberate. Strands of her light-brown hair spilled over her shoulder and she gently tucked some of it behind her ear.  
  
“Is death something you fear or look forward to?” She asked.  
  
Zak glanced her over, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Neither,” he stated. “I simply want to gather as much information as possible about the subject and prove to those in denial that there is a whole new world for us to accept and explore.” His cell-phone started ringing after that. Fishing his phone up of his pocket yet again, he glanced at the caller id for a second before ignoring the call and turning the sound off. “Sorry.”  
  
She nodded and pushed her glasses further up her nose as she scribbled a couple of words on her page again. “And why is that of such importance to you?”  
  
He glanced at the wall behind her for a few seconds, carefully choosing his words. “From my experience of working with the paranormal I have come to learn that people will always have questions about life after death. If I can give them the answers they seek from a scientific point of view then perhaps I can help people find peace in their lives.”  
  
“Do you feel peace in your life?”  
  
His eyes locked with hers and he frowned. “No.”  
  
“Do you know how you could find peace in your life?” She asked.  
  
“I don’t think I ever will.” He answered truthfully and watched as she wrote a couple of more words onto the sheet of paper she’d been writing notes on during their half-hour of talking.  
  
“And why is that?” She asked while glancing down at her notes. The pen she held swirled across the lined page in a rhythmic manner as the blue ink stained the sheet with words.  
  
Zak remained quiet as she wrote, peeking around the room and trying to gather his thoughts. The office he was in was darkly lit. One of the two strip lights in her lamp seemed to be broken as it flickered on an off a couple of times before dying completely. Her desk was filled with papers, books, another pair of glasses and a computer, which currently worked as another light-source.  
  
Oh how he’d love to feel peace. He’d love to be able to live a normal life in the way of not having to be tormented by these sinister energies which seemed to seek him out like flies to a lamp on a dark night. He’d been warned countless times that the road he was currently heading down would not lead to a happy place. He’d serve as the guide of thousands of people but also serve as a gateway for spirits; offering them a chance and opportunity to get their voices heard. He’d been naive when diving head first into his choice of career. He’d been reckless and too driven of wanting to know more that he completely failed to notice the warning headlines.  
  
“Zak?”  
  
Snapping out of his thoughts he found Dr. Watson waving a hand in front of his face, a look of worry evident on her features.  
  
“Are you okay?” She asked, her voice full of concern as she gave him a quick once-over. The light from the computer-screen in the corner of her office cast her face in a light blue hue, almost making her look ethereal.  
  
“What?” He questioned and shifted in his seat. The phone in his pocket started vibrating and he swore he’d kill Aaron the next time he ran into him.  
  
“Why will you not find peace?” She asked again and locked her eyes with his.  
  
Letting out a puff of air he didn’t know he’d been holding he answered her in a monotone voice. “Because death is never-ending.”  
  
Neither said a word. The soft buzzing from the computer was the only sound resonating throughout the room. He glanced at the clock hanging above the light-gray door. 11:45 it read. He was sure they’d end today’s session in a couple of minutes. Shifting his eyes toward the doctor, he noticed she seemed lost in thought as she stared at a spot somewhere behind him. She was pretty, he noted. Long dark lashes framed her almond shaped eyes. Her nose was small and slender, the tip protruding above her full lips. High cheekbones shaped her face into one of a model’s. Her hair was a light brown shade, reaching slightly below her shoulders and curling inward toward the upper part of her chest.  
  
“I think we should end it here,” She suddenly spoke.  
  
Raising his head a bit, he licked his lips and nodded once.  
  
“Can you come back next Tuesday at 2pm?” She asked and flipped through a couple of pages in her journal.  
  
“I must have missed her going to retrieve it,” he thought. Fishing his phone out of his pocket a third time, he checked his calendar to make sure he didn’t have any other plans that day. “Tuesday is fine,” He stated and made a quick note as to not forget about the appointment. Checking his call-list while still having his phone in his hand, he noticed Aaron had indeed called him earlier which made him wonder if something had happen. “See you next week,” He added and got up from his seat, and seeing her do the same from the corner of his eye, he shot her a quick glance and offered a smile.  
  
She walked him to her door and switched the red lamp off. “Have a nice day,”  
  
“You too,” he mumbled and left.  
  
While walking through the brightly lit corridor a second time that day, he kept his phone against his ear as he waited for Aaron to pick up on the other end. After making a turn and passing the staff-room, Aaron finally picked up. “Sup dude?”  
  
“Why you keep callin’ me, man?” Zak questioned and made his way through the empty waiting room before exiting through a locked door which led to the reception and two bathrooms.  
  
“I was bored and Nick’s sleeping,” Aaron replied.  
  
“And it never occurred to you that I might be busy?” Finally exiting the building, he took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the crisp September air and started making his way to where his car was parked.  
  
Ignoring his annoyed friend, Aaron steered their conversation onto their latest investigation. “I think I found some new evidence. I mean, it could be one of our shadows, but I don’t know. I just think you should see it,”  
  
Sighing a bit, Zak nodded and unlocked his car, “I’ll be there in a few,”  
  
“Oh, could you stop by at Starbucks?” Aaron asked and did his best to contain his laughter. He knew he was pushing Zak’s buttons and that he’d blow up any second.  
  
“No,”  
  
“Aw, come on, dude.”  
  
“I’m hanging up now. Bye.” Zak threw his phone onto the passenger seat and sighed again. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he could literary feel the voices in his head ganging up on him; the tension getting thicker, leaving him with another one of his killer headaches. He needed to sleep. He needed some time off.  
  
Setting his car in reverse he finally made his way towards Aaron’s. Whatever he had found better be good.

 

* * *

  
  
  
Dr. Watson sat at her desk, her elbows resting against the cool wood as she rested her chin onto the back of her palms. The document she had created in Zak’s patient-register was still empty, save from his contact information he’d left with the receptionist, and she sighed quietly before standing and making her way out to the staff-room to get some coffee. She still had a couple of minutes before her next appointment would show up and even if the day was still young, one could never have enough of that dark and spicy liquid.  
  
Shuffling toward the counter, she opened one of the pastel-yellow cabinet-doors and reached for her mug.  
  
“Hey,” A voice spoke up from behind her, nearly causing her to drop the porcelain cup. Quickly turning around, she came face to face with Lisa, one of the newer nurses of the clinic.  
  
“God damn it, Lisa! Don’t do that!” She wailed. “I’m seriously gonna get a heart-attack if you keep this up. Gawsh!” Stomping over to where the newly brewed coffee was, she started pouring coffee into her mug and heard Lisa talk again.  
  
“I heard you got that ghost hunter. He’s hot,”  
  
“What?” Dr. Watson asked and sat down on the brown leather couch.  
  
“That Zak guy,” Lisa answered, “Anna told me you were the lucky one to get him.”  
  
Sipping her coffee, she lowered her eyes for a second, “Oh, right.”  
  
Sitting down next to the Doctor, Lisa eyed her curiously. “How was he? What did he say?”  
  
One thin eyebrow rose on Dr. Watson’s forehead as she watched her colleague suspiciously. “You know I can not talk about my patients, Lisa.”  
  
“Aw, come on! He’s a public figure. He’s on TV for Christ sake!”  
  
“That doesn’t change anything,”  
  
“Why aren’t you swooning over him?” Lisa questioned. “He’s like the hottest guy on the planet. The only reason I even watch his show is because of him.”  
  
“Well okay then.”  
  
“Wait,” Lisa started, “Have you even seen his show?” Her voice turned questioningly.  
  
Feeling the younger nurse leaning closer toward her, Dr. Watson leaned back a bit to put some distance between them and sipper her coffee again.  
  
“Oh my God, you haven’t!”  
  
“Unlike you, I don’t have time to sit and watch TV all day,” Dr. Watson snapped, her patience wearing thin.  
  
“Geez, what climbed up your ass and died?” Lisa grumbled and shot the doctor a disgusted look. “Is the rest of his crew here for therapy as well or…?”  
  
“Crew?”  
  
“Damn it, woman! You need to get a life!” Lisa exasperated. “When celebrities see therapists you know you need to keep your eyes and ears open. Now is when the juicy stuff comes out,”  
  
“That’s enough!” Dr. Watson warned. “I don’t care about his background or choice in career. I don’t care if he, nor any other of my patients are somewhat of a celebrity. My job is to listen and give them insight into their lives. My job here is to help.” Setting her cup down onto the table, she continued, “Why am I eve defending my position to you?”  
  
Raising her hands in defeat, Lisa stood up and sent the doctor a look of pity. “Geez, no need to take shit so seriously,” and with that she hurried toward the door. “And for the record, I know what position I’d want to be in the next time he comes around,” And with a wink, she left.  
  
Ignoring the taunts of her younger colleague, Dr. Watson let her gaze slide to the digital clock on the microwave resting on the counter. It was time for her next appointment, so she finished her coffee, left the empty mug in the sink and went back to her office.

 

* * *

  
  
Zak pulled up to the driveway of Aaron’s apartment complex a couple of minutes later. Whatever Aaron had found, it better be valid proof of what they were hunting. Capturing evidence had been rather slow these past couple of weeks, and Zak knew it was partly because of his current condition. He wasn’t himself. Hell, he hadn’t been himself in weeks. He’d been losing sleep, hadn’t eaten regularly, he had screwed up their past two investigations by completely losing it. He was border-lining insanity and had no clue of how, why or when it had happened. All he really knew for certain was that he needed help and that’s where Aaron had more or less forced him to seek out a psychiatrist.  
  
Opening the car door he stepped out into the cool September morning and started making his way toward the entrance of the large white building. Glancing at his reflection in the windows he passed by, he shuddered slightly at the person staring back at him; his face distorted and with dark bags underneath his eyes.  
  
Pushing the door open, he stepped into the lobby and walked toward the elevator. The elevator gave off a ding as its doors slid open, granting the paranormal investigator access. They closed soundlessly behind him and the ride up to Aaron’s apartment went by quickly. Dinging again, the metal doors slid open a second time and Zak walked out into the darkly lit corridor and headed to his right. He knocked twice on the wooden door leading to Aaron’s apartment and took a deep breath before letting himself in. 


	2. Chapter 2

Aaron’s apartment was dark. He had a tendency to leave his blinds down, much like Zak, but even though Zak preferred living in badly lit environment, today was not one of those days. Sidestepping a heap of dirty laundry on the floor, he made his way toward the closest window and was just about to open the blinds when Aaron suddenly spoke up.   
  
“Hey, dude!” The bald man chirped while leaning back in his office chair to greet Zak. “How did therapy go?”   
  
Deciding to leave the blinds half-open, Zak then took a seat next to his friend and shrugged slightly, “It went fine. What did you find?”   
  
One dark eyebrow rose on Aaron’s forehead as he eyed the newcomer. “Just fine?”   
  
Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Zak leaned back in the chair and glared at the computer screen. “Yeah,”   
  
“Dude, talk to me. You look like shit,” The bearded of the two insisted. “Can he help you or what?”   
  
Not bothering to respond, Zak continued glaring at the computer screen.   
  
“You’re scaring me, bro,” Aaron quivered and laughed nervously as he reached forward to grab the computer-mouse. “Anyway, check this out,” he continued as he opened one of the files on his desktop. “I was going through the evidence from last week’s lock-down and I came across this. It was captured on your camera when you went alone down to the basement.” He continued. “I’ve tried debunking it by matching the tapes from the same spot filmed by the x-cam, but it doesn’t add up. You’ll see why in a bit.” He pressed play and leaned back in his chair, giving Zak room to navigate through the file as he pleased.   
  
Leaning closer toward the screen, Zak watched the recorded video intensely. At first, the only thing captured was his voice and half his face as he asked his standard questions, but soon enough he had turned the camera around and was walking further into the abandoned basement.   
  
“Look closely at the upper right corner,” Aaron explained and pointed to the spot he wanted Zak to pay attention to.   
  
At first he saw nothing and decided to replay the file again. The second time, a small light-gray mist like figure barely showed as it swept across the upper corner of the video; going quickly into frame and then returning the way it came.   
  
“Damn. How did you even notice that?” Zak asked. “It barely shows at all,” He played the sequence again and again, changed the settings a bit and zoomed in on the object. “It’s almost as if it’s out of frame, like we only captured half of it.”   
  
Aaron shooed Zak’s hand away and opened another file, this one showing the film from the x-camera, which was filming in the same direction but from a different angle.   
  
“The weird thing is that the x-cam didn’t capture anything at all.” Aaron fast-forwarded the clip to match the footage of Zak’s camera. Playing both files simultaneously, both men found themselves staring intensely at the screen.   
  
“That _is_ weird.” Zak mumbled. “I believe we have seen enough footage to be able to debunk it as neither dust nor a bug, and orbs are usually more round, so what _is_ that?” He questioned.   
  
A loud buzz broke their concentration. Aaron rolled his chair a few feet to his left and went to retrieve his phone which lay upon a couple of books on the desk. “What’s up Nick?” He greeted as his ear pressed against the phone. Standing from his previously comfortable position, he left the room and entered the kitchen.

While Aaron spoke to the third member of their crew, Zak went back to the computer in hopes of figuring out what exactly had gotten caught on camera. So called shadow-people were one of his theories, but they hadn’t been able to catch any of those on film before, and while he knew spirits needed a lot of energy in order to materialize, none of his electrical equipment had malfunctioned during the event.   
  
He leaned his elbows onto the wooden desk and placed his chin in his right hand. His fingers slid over his left cheek as his mind raced to get answers. Aaron re-entered the room a couple of minutes later with his phone in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.   
  
“Nick found a new location. We’re heading there in a week.”   
  
“I have therapy on Tuesday,” Zak blurted out.   
  
Aaron stopped dead in his tracks and stared at his friend. He blinked, smirked and placed a hand on his hip. “Oh hell no!” he exclaimed. “So you think you can just get out of this for what? Therapy? You, young man, are grounded, ooh-kaay?!” He joked. His head bobbing both left and right as he ended his outburst with a pout on his lips.   
  
A delicate eyebrow rose on Zak’s forehead as he eyed his friend and colleague. Aaron was a weird dude. “…and here I am, thinking _I’m_ the one going crazy,” Zak mumbled and sunk further into his seat.   
  
________

Nick joined the two investigators a little while later with a couple of books, folders containing clippings from newspapers and with three cups of coffee. His ash-blond hair was combed back, eyes looking perky and a smile adorned his lips as he entered Aaron’s apartment. Setting the items onto Aaron’s white dining table, he called his friends over to come and help with the research. The smile playing on his lips gradually faded as he laid his eyes on Zak.   
  
“Holy… What happened to you?” He questioned slightly taken aback by his friend’s unusual appearance.

Zak’s characteristic fauxhawk was non existent. Instead his black hair laid unusually flat against his skull with occasional strands of hair pointing every other direction, giving him the looks of a madman. His otherwise clear-blue eyes were leaning more toward a dull gray shade with dark under-eye circles above the apples of his cheeks. His posture was nowhere near his usual confident attitude, instead his arms hung loosely down the sides of his frame with one hand tucked slightly into the pocket of his pants. He leaned against the doorway between Aaron’s workspace and living-room and looked… _dead_.

Aaron eyed the third man from behind Zak and gestured for him to shut up. Nick got the hint and smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.   
  
Aaron clapped Zak on the shoulder before taking a seat in his black leather couch. “Ooh, coffee!” He exclaimed excitedly and reached for the cup with his name written on the side of the white paper-cup. Peeling the lid off, he took a small sip of the black liquid, enjoying every molecule of the rich fluid with a deep moan of contentment.   
  
Nick knelt down on the floor, grabbed one of the two remaining cups and held it out in Zak’s direction. “Coffee?” He offered his long-time friend as an act of peace for his earlier outburst.   
  
Zak left his spot against the door-frame and grasped the cup. Leaning down towards the table, he then took one of the folders containing newspaper clippings and took a seat next to Aaron on the couch.   
  
“Let’s get to work, dudes,”

________  
  
Nick had been well prepared with the reports, notes, files and newspaper-clippings concerning their new location. They were heading to an old hotel in Jefferson County, Missouri. The hotel was originally built as a farm house back in 1816 but started going through reconstruction sometime after 1856 when John M. Morse bought the building. The hotel had it’s prime-time during the mid 1920’s and the 1930’s with guests such as Charlie Chaplin, Al Capone, and Clara Bow - the woman whom served as an inspiration-source for the character _Betty Boop_. To top it all, the first national female serial-killer had both lived and worked in the building. Serving as a cook, she poisoned many people with her exceptional skills. A favorite of hers was giving arsenic chocolates to kids. After her death, her body had been buried nearby.   
  
The location had gone through many phases during it’s decades of being used. Going from a private house to a brothel, confederate hospital, post office, underground railroad, to a hotel _and_ it had the privilege of carrying the history of multiple murder scenes stretching over the timespan of decades. Reports spoke of multiple cases of people seeing shadow-figures, getting touched, pushed and even felt up I a sexual way. Nick, Aaron and Zak were bound to find evidence to confirm the stories. This place promised everything and even had a few evp’s to back up some of the stories.   
  
“So, what do you guys think?” Nick asked after finishing another one of the police-reports he’d gotten his hands on. He placed the folder on top of the pile of files he’d already gone through and went to fetch another one.   
  
“Dude, this place sounds wicked!” Aaron exclaimed. “We have celebrities, murders, evp’s, shadow-figures… This place is off the hook!” He beamed.   
  
“Yeah, I just hope it’s not just a scam to lure people over. Don’t you find it fishy that they seem to have _everything_?” Nick asked, emphasizing ‘everything’.   
  
Zak looked up from his folder of newspaper-articles and eyed his two friends. He’d been reading up on the serial killer and had -up until now counted 35 murders taking place at the location. Almost half of those were children. “I’d like to try and make contact with Bertha Gifford.” He stated and lowered his folder. “I want to know why anyone could even think of murdering children. Are they still there? Is she still tormenting them? I have a feeling we’ll be dealing with something darker than a spirit. This sounds demonic to me.”   
  
“Yeah, bro, I hear ya,” Aaron nodded.   
  
“Whatever is there, we’ll get to the bottom with it,” Zak added.   
  
“Indeed,” The two others agreed.   
  
________  
  
Tuesday came quickly and Zak found himself in the same obnoxious waiting room as a week prior. This time he was accompanied by an older male and a teenage girl waiting to get called in much like himself. The same clock ticked tauntingly at it’s spot on the wall, but this time Zak was prepared and sat quietly in his seat with his ear-buds in. The cord went from his ears and into his phone where he listened to some music and he drummed his thumbs against the sides of his phone in perfect synchronization with the beat of his choice of tune. He glanced over at the elder man sitting hunched over a women’s magazine and studied him for a while. He looked to be around his early 60’s with white hair crowning the sides of his head in a c-shape, leaving the top of it bare of any hair. His eyes were heavily sunken in, framed by bushy eyebrows and deep lines of wrinkles. His nose was big and protruded out in a hawk-like shape over thin lips set in a brooding snarl. His skin had a gray-tint to it which made him look older than he probably was and the beige/gray trench-coat he wore did nothing to bring out any sort of personality.   
  
Turning his attention to the teenager, he caught her checking him out. A blush spread across her cheeks as she quickly looked down onto her hands which fidgeted in her lap. Resisting the urge to sigh, he gave her a quick once-over. Pitch-black hair sprung from the top of her head in a layered hairstyle, framing her heart-shaped face and ending right above her shoulders. Her eyes were heavily lined with black, her nose was pierced and her bottom lip was adorned with what he recalled went by the name ‘snakebites’. Much like himself she wore all black and a t-shirt that read ‘ _I’m only wearing black until they invent something darker_ ’. The corner of his lips twitched slightly as he scorned. Looking at her person made him remember his days as a teenager. Bullied, tormented and constantly picked on by his classmates, growing up was not easy. Her head rose slowly and she peeked at him through her thick eyelashes. He forced a quick smile and went back to his phone. He was in no mood to strike up a conversation.   
  
A couple of minutes passed before a light tap on his shoulder brought him out of his zone. Turning his head to his right he was met with the view of two delicate mounds threatening to break out of a white tank top with a ridiculously low neck. He quickly diverted his gaze upward and pulled the buds from his ears.   
  
“Yes?” He asked.   
  
“Oh, hi! I’m Lisa,” The woman began cheerfully and stretched her right hand out to greet him.   
  
Cocking an eyebrow, Zak reached his hand out to shake hers. “Uh…”   
  
“Dr. Watson is ready to see you now, and perhaps if you’re free then maybe I get to see more of you later,” The woman winked and discreetly pushed over a piece of paper through their connected hands.   
  
Staring dumbfounded at the woman in front of him, Zak felt his throat dry up. “Uh…”   
  
“Um, Lisa…” Another woman carefully entered the waiting room and Zak recognized her as the shy nurse he met the week before. “I’m here to escort Mr. Bagans to Dr. Watson’s office,” she added in with her wobbly voice and her eyes shot to the floor in embarrassment.   
  
Zak rose from his seat and pocketed his phone along with the piece of paper he’d recently received. He faked a smile as he brushed past Lisa and silently left the waiting room. The shy nurse fell into step beside him and offered him a shy smile when he nodded his head in greeting when she finally found the nerve to acknowledge him.   
  
“Thanks,” He smiled once they were outside Dr. Watson’s office.  
  
The nurse’s cheeks burned crimson as she knocked on the door and the second the psychiatrist opened the door she silently shuffled away, leaving Zak and his therapist to their business.   
  
“Ah, Mr. Bagans,” The occupant of the room greeted. “Please come in,” she added as she flipped the switch signaling she was busy before she closed the door behind them, completely missing the dark shadow that managed to sneak into her room before the door closed.   
  
Zak sat down in the same seat as last week and folded his hands in his lap. He curiously eyed his psychiatrist whom was dressed in a white button up shirt and a black waist-high pencil skirt. Her hair was hanging loosely around her shoulders, softly draping down over the upper part of her back. Her eyes were lightly framed by a thin line of black eyeliner and some mascara, quite the contrast compared to the black-clothed teenager in the waiting room. He leaned to his left and set his elbow on the armrest. Laying his chin in the palm of his hand, he silently watched the woman in front of him scurry from the door and to her desk before ending up in front of him where she silently took a seat in the chair across the small squared table in between them.  
  
“So,” she started. “How are you feeling today?” Picking up a notebook from the small table in between them, she flipped through the first couple of pages until she found an unwritten one and quickly scribbled his name and today’s date on the top line.   
  
Zak shrugged his shoulders. “Fine, I guess,” He had actually taken the time to trim the short beard on his chin, The thin mustache over his upper lip was groomed and he had even made an effort to shape his hair into his characteristic fauxhawk.   
  
“You look fine,” She stated and nodded in agreement.   
  
He shrugged and broke eye-contact for a second.   
  
“Last week we spoke about life and death,” She started. “You said some very interesting things about life after death and your _mission_ in this world, if you don’t mind me phrasing it that way?” Her hazel colored eyes watched him intensely, observing him and his reaction to her question. “What lead you onto your current path of life?”   
  
“Uh…” He scratched the side of his head. “I had an encounter with a female spirit in my old apartment in Trenton, Michigan. I kept waking up at the same time night after night until I saw her standing there right in front of me by the foot of my bed. She apparently committed suicide in the next door building and somehow ended up with me in my apartment.”   
  
She scribbled something down onto the open page in her lap. “That’s interesting. How did you find out about her?”   
  
“I did some research, asked my landlord, spoke to the neighbors… you know, that sort of thing,” he stated wryly and straightened in his seat.   
  
“Are you currently in a relationship?” She suddenly asked.   
  
Zak’s eyes shot to hers and he eyed her curiously. “No,” She nodded discreetly and wrote the word ‘ _single_ ’ on the paper. “Why?” he questioned.   
  
Her eyes met his again. Hazel staring into blue. His question hung heavily in the room, waiting to get answered.   
  
“When were you last in a relationship?” She countered his question with another one of her own.   
  
“They don’t approve of me being in a relationship,” he grumbled.   
  
Here eyes widened a fraction at that. “They?” She questioned.   
  
Sighing deeply, he shifted yet again in his seat. “My relationships don’t last because they scare them off,”   
  
“Who does?” She asked with a puzzled look on her face.   
  
“I don’t know,” he shrugged.   
  
“…”   
  
“Whenever I bring someone home they scare them off. I guess they’re being protective.”   
  
“Protective of you?” She questioned.   
  
His eyes shot to hers and he licked his lips. “I guess you could say that.”   
  
“Why?”   
  
Shaking his head slightly, Zak’s eyes locked with the female’s in front of him “Because I’m their only hope if they want to get their story heard.”   
  
Leaning closer toward the paranormal investigator, Dr. Watson asked: “What is their story?”   
  
“Do you really want to know?” Zak questioned and copied the woman’s actions by leaning in closer as well.   
  
“Yes,” She stated and lowered her gaze a fraction.   
  
His eyes shot to her lips for a millisecond before a genuine smile spread across his lips and he gazed yet again into the beautiful mixture of brown and green in her eyes. “I-”   
  
Two hard knocks against the door interrupted the intense conversation between the couple. “Excuse me, Avelina, we have a situation,” a man in his mid 40’s stated as he flung the door open, causing Zak to quickly lean back against the backrest of his chair.   
  
The sound of a woman screaming traveled through the corridor outside of the room, making Avelina quickly stand from her seat. “Virginia?”   
  
The man nodded once and stepped aside to make room for Dr. Watson.   
  
“Zak, this is an emergency, could you please wait here?” Avelina questioned as she hurried toward the door.   
  
“Uh…” Zak started but was cut off by another heartbreaking scream resounding throughout the corridor.   
  
Dr. Watson quickly left the room, leaving the door ajar behind her. Zak sighed quietly and pinched the bridge of his nose. Today’s session was so far out of his comfort zone that the thought of leaving was getting more and more tempting by the minute.   
  
A sudden flicker of the lights brought him back from his musings. He recognized this from home. The lights flickered again and the hairs on his arms suddenly stood on peek. This only meant one thing.   
  
He wasn’t alone.   
  



	3. Chapter 3

Dr. Watson rushed through the narrow corridor toward the screaming woman she’d heard when John, the elder man, had gone to fetch her from her office. Worry was evident on her features as she quickly made her way toward the locked door between the entrance-room and the clinic, where Virginia was currently situated. Virginia had been the very first of Dr. Watson’s patients and the one she’d failed miserably to help. Avelina had learned the hard way that some things were not taught through books but from experience and years of studying people. To say she’d been naive back then was an understatement.   
Flinging the door open, she found the younger woman struggling to break free from the security man’s grasp. Her unwashed dark hair clung to her pale face as she kicked and screamed at the man in uniform.   
  
“Virginia,” Dr. Watson whispered as she laid her eyes on her former patient. The woman before her was pale and thin, a complete contrast from the person she had once been. Her dark green over-sized sweater hung loosely over her lithe frame and swung back and forth as the woman wearing it fought for dear life to break free.   
  
Dark eyes shot to Avelina’s and she froze midway. A cold chill ran down her spine as she locked eyes with her old patient. Every trace of Virginia’s former person seemed wiped out. Her otherwise lively light-brown eyes were nearly pitch black and held nothing but an endless darkness. Another scream resonated from Virginia’s chapped lips and Avelina sprung to action.

“Virginia! It’s me, it’s Avelina,” She cooed and stepped closer to the bewildered woman. She raised a hand and slowly leaned in closer. “Shh.. It’s okay. You’re safe,” she whispered.

Resentful eyes glared hatefully into hazel and Avelina resisted the urge to take a step back. “It’s okay,” She spoke softly, more so to herself, and stroked the other woman’s cheek with her fingertips. “It’s okay…” She repeated quietly and lowered her guard a bit as Virginia seemed to relax in the security-man’s grasp.

The pale woman suddenly jerked to the right and sunk her teeth into Avelina’s flesh. The stinging sensation caused the doctor to jerk back with a yelp and she quickly covered her bitten spot with the other hand. A look of hurt flickered across her face as she gazed back at Virginia whom smirked victoriously. The security man tightened his grip around the younger female and took a long stride toward the nearest wall where he pressed the now laughing woman rather roughly against the eggshell colored surface.

“Are you alright?” He questioned while using his full bodyweight to keep the woman pinned against the wall as he glanced at the doctor. “Miss?”

Avelina stared dumbfounded ahead, quickly falling deep into thought and blocking everything out around her as a form of defense. Virginia’s laughter slowly died out and Avelina found herself sitting in her old office in the uncomfortable flower-patterned black and grey chair she so often used. The sunlight filled her office with both light and warmth and in front of her sat a much younger Virginia clad in a white summer dress. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail and her jaw bobbed up and down as she quietly chewed on what smelled like a strawberry-flavored gum.

Avelina sat with her pen and notebook in hand; her bright eyes studying her new patient. Across from her on a small square table laid the results from Virginia’s BDI-test. She’d read it twice and had taken some notes.

“I wanted to talk to you about the test,” Avelina started and motioned at the papers on the table. “You can re-read them if you’d like.”

Virginia leaned confidently back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other as she shook her head no.

“I consulted a colleague, your name was of course kept hidden as everything that’s spoken in this room stays within these four walls,” She continued and pushed her glasses further up her nose. “We both agreed you were to start taking a medicine called Quetiapine. It’s an anti-depressive and anti-psychotic drug used on patients with depressive episodes and angst. I also want to talk to you about some of the things you’ve checked in the papers,” She picked the papers up and quickly scanned through them, “You checked the ‘I hear voices’ box along with the ‘seeing things no one else can see’.”

Virginia stopped chewing. Her frame sank deeper into the chair as she discreetly glanced at the floor to her left.

“You also mention you sometimes believe people can read your mind and that you experience feelings that aren’t your own.” Hazel eyes searched the face in front of her for a reaction and the sight in front of her made her regret the way she had phrased her previous sentences.

“I am concerned for you and your health,” She continued in a softer voice and let the papers fall back onto the shiny surface of the table. “What triggered this? What have you gone through? What’s eating you from the inside and out?”

Pale lips moved slowly on the young woman and she spoke five words very quietly; “It’s not what. It’s them…”

______

Zak took a calming breath as the lights flickered on and off yet again. The hairs on his arms were on edge and a sudden snap, almost sounding like a twig breaking, made him turn his head quickly to his right. There was nothing there. Nothing but the dark gray office-chair by his doctor’s desk with the computer and a bunch of folders and papers spread across the desk’s surface.   
  
“What’s your name?” He demanded rather than asked as he gazed around the room.

The lights went out and he was sat in darkness, save for the blueish glow emanating from the computer screen and the small streak of light that entered the room through the small crack of the nearly closed door.

“My name is Zak, who are you?” He tried and made sure not to make any fast movement as he fished his phone out of his pant-pocket. Sliding his fingers expertly over the glossy screen, he quickly pressed his pin-code and started the voice-recorder app.

“Can you make another noise?” He carefully set his phone down onto the small table in front of him and waited. “What’s your name?” He tried again and heard rather than saw the creaking of the door as it slowly started to shut itself.

A sudden shift in energy filled the room and he quietly waited for its intensity to subside as talking might interfere with any possible evidence getting captured with his phone. Another snap was heard to his far right and he quickly turned his head towards the sound. The darkness seemed to turn more and more black and it’s suffocating presence made it hard for Zak to think straight. The whisper of a woman reached his ear and he could have sworn he felt her breath on his left cheek.   
  
“Is that you?” He questioned and rose from his seat. “Can you please make another noise?” He turned so his back was facing the door and quickly searched the back of his seat with uncertain eyes.

His phone suddenly buzzed where it lay on the table and the screen went from the image of a microphone to black in less than a second. He knew there should be more life on the battery as he’d fully charged the device before leaving his home this morning. Suddenly the lights in the ceiling came back on and as he leaned down to retrieve his phone, he heard the soft patting of feet coming closer to the other side of the door.

“…I appreciate it. Yes, please do. There is nothing else I can do for her. Thank you.” The muted voice he recognized as his doctor’s spoke outside of the room.

Retaking his seat so that he faced the door, he awaited her return. The door slowly opened and as Avelina stepped back into her office, the lights in the ceiling burned brighter and brighter until the tiny wires inside the bulb caught fire, causing the fragile glass around the entwined light-source to explode into tiny bits of glittery glass-splitter.

A yelp left the doctor’s parted lips as she took two steps back. “What the hell?!” Her eyes quickly went to Zak who’d gotten up as soon as he’d heard the loud smash and had accidentally knocked his chair over. “Are you okay?” She questioned frightfully and quickly diverted her gaze and stared up at the broken lamp in her office.

Zak looked as shocked and disbelieving as his doctor and followed her trail of sight with his own eyes. “The fuck..?!” He muttered tremulously as he unconsciously tried to take another step back, but couldn’t because of the heavy chair now laying behind him on the floor.   
  
People were gathering up behind Avelina to see what the ruckus was all about. They too had heard the loud noise and the crackling of glass raining down onto the floor.

“What happened?” He heard someone ask somewhere amids the group of people gathered outside of his doctor’s office.

Zak looked up onto the ceiling, completely mesmerized by the power of the spirit he had just encountered. There was a chance the lamp had acted up due to electrical failure, but taking into accommodation the fact he had experienced multiple signs of spiritual activity before the lamp exploded, he could say for certain that the lights were definitely damaged by something supernatural. He’d been in the business long enough to know that series of events like these never came alone. He couldn’t wait till he got home and had his phone charged again. He hoped he had captured something to validate his previous experience. He glanced at Avelina whose eyes were set on his frame. She looked shocked, frightened even, and for a microsecond he found himself actually thanking a higher being for keeping her safe. She had partially witnessed an unexplainable episode of what the unseen forces had the power to do. If she’d entered the room a couple of seconds earlier, the glass would have rained down onto her and he felt something spring to life deep within his darkened heart at the thought of it. Albeit small, it was _something_ and it made him _feel_.

“Are you okay?” She questioned again. Her eyes were soft but darkened by concern as she awaited his reply.

A tall man made his way through the confused crowd. Zak nodded a quick yes and circled around the broken glass, silently standing next to his doctor as the tall man entered the room. His composure was that of a highly ranked persona; oozing of confidence and power. This man was most likely the boss of the clinic, Zak thought as he watched him inspect the shattered glass on the floor. A few seconds passed before the man acknowledged the doctor and her patient and Zak felt a hint of annoyance at the look this man sent the woman by his side.

“Avelina,” His voice was hushed and smoky as he greeted the younger woman and Zak felt a pang of irritation at the way his voice made the doctor respond.

Her eyes closed slightly, long eyelashes shading her beautiful hazel eyes and the corners of her lips tilted upwards in a shy-looking smile. “Jace,” She breathed and nervously started fiddling with the hem of her top.

“Is there a problem?” He questioned and nonchalantly gave Zak a once-over before turning his full attention back to the doctor. “Would you like me to call for security? You seem to have quite the persistent rat here,” He snickered. His sand-colored hair was combed back, his face freshly shaved and his light-blue eyes twinkled with lust as he locked eyes with the doctor.

A look of surprise washed over her features and a gasp left her lips, before she raised her head fully, her eyes hard and determined as she fell back into character and started defending her patient. “Jace, I do not appreciate when you invalidate those who seek my help. It is rude and low, even coming from you. Please leave. I will take care of this.”

A large grin spread across Jace’s lips. “My, my, always so ferocious, Avelina. Remind me to give you a raise. It’ll only be fair since that’s what you’re giving me,” He winked and started making his way toward the door.

Zak was fuming. Every pore of his muscular body was pumping with anger and he wanted nothing more than to connect his fist with the slick skin of Jace’s chin.   
  
“Don’t,” Avelina demanded and he felt her soft fingers lightly brush over the knuckles of his left fist. Realizing he’d been ready to strike, he relaxed his tensed muscles underneath her touch. “It won’t do no good,” she added in a whisper and faked a smile.

The shy nurse who’d been escorting Zak the times he’d been in for a session came stumbling in through the opened door with a broom in hand. She started mopping up the broken glass but nearly hit the ceiling as the other two occupants of the room started moving from their position behind the door. Throwing the broom up sideways in front of her small frame, the younger nurse shrieked and closed her eyes tightly as she fearfully started begging them to spare her life.

“Please don’t hurt me! I am nobody. I will do anything if you just let me live. Please don’t hurt me, please…”

Avelina walked up to the frightened nurse and softly placed her hand on top of the woman’s, causing her to scream louder than before. “I will do anything! Please don’t hurt me!”

“Hey, hey.. It’s just me, Avelina,” Avelina cooed softly.

The nurse’s eyes shot open and her face turned 50 shades of red as she realized she hadn’t been alone in the room.

“I think that’s the first time I’ve actually gotten the chance to hear your voice,” Zak spoke up from behind Avelina. A kind smile adorned his lips as he eyed the inadequate woman. Leaning down he picked the broom up from the floor and handed it back to the nurse whose gaze was kept on her feet.

“Thank you,” She whispered and started swiping the broken glass into a small heap in the middle of the room.

“I am so sorry today’s session turned out this way,” Avelina apologized. “This place is usually very calm and don’t offer much distraction.”

“It is fine,” Zak tilted his head back to take another look at the broken lamp.

“I have no idea what happened with the lights,” She continued. “They’ve never done that before. In fact, I’ve never seen lights do that at all.” Taking a step toward Zak, she went on rambling, “Have you seen that happen before? Do lights just go ‘poof’. Oh my God, I could have gotten glass all over me. What if-”

Strong hands gripped her shoulders tightly and she suddenly found herself within arm’s length from her patient. “Relax,” he requested, his voice low and full of emotion.

The tip of her tongue slipped through her pink lips and Zak’s eyes quickly found their way from her eyes down her straight nose until they ended up resting on her rosy lips. His heart sprung to life yet again; the muscle contracting strongly deep within his chest and fueling his body with warmth and the tingly sensation of adrenaline. The soft clinking of shattered glass was slowly dying out as the nurse had almost finished swiping it up and Zak drank in the features of this peculiar woman standing before him.

Avelina’s eyes wandered over the face of her newest patient. He was so close she thought he could hear the fast beating of her heart. His thumb was tracing soft circles over her neck and she had to fight hard to resist giving into the pleasurable feeling of his touch. This man was off the market. He was unavailable, and definitely not someone she should start getting involved with. It was unethical and against any work-related standards. He was her patient and she: his shrink. The scent of his cologne filled her nostrils and she realized a little too late she’d stepped in even closer to his warm and inviting frame.

“Avelina!” Jace suddenly barked from the entrance to her office, startling the other two occupants. “My office, now!”

Taking a quick step away from Zak, she bit her lip shamefully and lowered her gaze. When did Jace show up? And since when and why did Zak have that effect on her? Shaking her head slightly she hurriedly went to fetch her notebook.   
  
“Can you see me next Tuesday?” She questioned. “Same time as today?” Hazel met blue yet again and she unconsciously bit her lip in embarrassment.

“Yes, ma’am,” He responded sheepishly and headed for the door.

An amused smile adorned her lips as she brushed past him, quickly hurrying down the hallway in the direction of her boss’ office. “I’m looking forward to it.” She proclaimed with a swift wave of her hand.   
  
Zak closed the doctor’s office door behind him and made his way through the hallway as well: heading the different direction from his doctor’s. The shy nurse, whom he still did not know the name of, was seen emptying the shattered glass in the trashcan in the staffroom and when passing her by he considerately bid his farewell.

Today had been an eventful day, and he’d somehow gotten filled with more energy than he’d felt in a long time. Life felt good for once and as he strutted across the street toward his parked car, a genuine smile spread across his lips. Life didn’t just feel good. Life felt _very_ good. 


	4. Chapter 4

She rapped her knuckles quickly against the wooden door and ran her hands over her top a couple of times in an uncertain manner as she waited for him to open the door. She’d been called into his office before when he’d been displeased with her actions, so she knew what was awaiting her. Biting her lip, she shifted on her heel and let out a quiet sigh.

Jace was a manipulative man. He was extremely gorgeous in her eyes and quite fun to be around when he allowed her to see his good side, but even though those moments were rare and rather short-lived, the darker side of his being shone through more often than not and it frightened her. _He_ frightened her. He’d inherited his father’s short temper and lust for power along with the the disgustingly low view of women his father had poisoned the clinic with. Take what you crave and give them what they deserve would have been his motto had he still been alive. Jace had taken over the boss position after his father had passed away. Rumor said one of his old lovers had mixed tranquilizers into the bottle of scotch he’d kept hidden in the old but magnificent cabinet in his pompous office. Said bottle of scotch had of course not been found and so, no one had been charged with murder.

She shifted yet again and let her eyes travel down the quiet corridor, down the direction her newest patient had gone. She stayed there quietly and thought back on the day’s events and the short conversation she’d managed to have with Zak before Virginia had showed up.  
  
Virginia. She hadn’t seen Virginia in over two years. That was two years of regret on Avelina’s side. Two years of constant worry for her former patient. Two years of unanswered questions and feelings of guilt. She hadn’t been able to help the younger woman; hadn’t had the knowledge required to assist the female in her rehabilitation. She’d been so focused on finding a diagnosis that she completely missed the underlying issue, the reason behind her problems, and finding a way to help Virginia on her way back to a healthy life. She’d been focusing on the wrong things all along and that feeling of failure was something that was still eating at her heart the moments she was alone and in the darkest hours of the night.

The door behind her finally opened and Lisa came scurrying out of Jace’s office in a fit of giggles. Re-adjusting her skirt she slid past the doctor and hurried down the corridor without acknowledging her co-worker. Avelina shook her head and turned to face the ajar door. With a solemn smile plastered on her lips she entered the large room and shut the door quietly behind her back.

* * *

 

Zak steered into his driveway and turned his radio off before climbing out of the car. The pebbled driveway crunched underneath his feet as he made his way toward his front door. An outdoor vase containing red flowers laid knocked over to the right of the stony path leading to his doorstep. Sighing irritably he leaned down to set it straight.

“Will you please leave these fucking flowers alone?” he grumbled. “I get you don’t like them, but _I do_ and since this is _my house_ , they get to stay.”

Setting his keys in the lock, he opened the door and was met by a cheerful bark from a large fluff-ball of black and white fur.

“Gracie, baby,” he greeted and leaned down to pet his beloved dog, almost getting knocked over by the sheer force of her happiness. “How’s my baby-girl? Wanna go out and play? I think someone missed her daddy.” he continued in a playful voice and ruffled her soft tresses.

Gracie barked again, her tail swinging from left to right in a frantic manner as she drank in the words and loving petting from her master.

“Let me just fix one thing and we’ll head right out.”

Gracie followed her owner into the large house and ran straight into the living-room to a black basket full of dog-toys. Taking a rubber-chicken in between her jaws, she hurriedly skidded after her owner into the bedroom where she found him plugging the charger into his phone.

“All set.” he smiled and leaned down to pet his dog yet again when a loud crash was heard from a nearby room. “Seriously?!” he growled and hurried out of his bedroom with his dog on his heel.

The living-room looked like it always did: clean and tidy. His black and grey kitchen lay beyond the living-room and after making one fast sweep with his eyes, he concluded even that room seemed to be in order. Zak headed to the bathroom near the hallway, still in search of where the loud noise had come from, and as he neared the front door he noted red flowers spread out on-top of a mixture of dirt, shards of his now broken vase and some pebbles right outside of the entrance.

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” he growled and poked at the flowers with the toe of his shoe.

Gracie skidded up behind her master, her tail swaying from left to right as she nudged the back of Zak’s knee with the rubber-chicken. Zak’s hand fell back to pet her head and give her a light scratch behind her ear before he took a step forward and started swiping the remnants of the vase off of the patio with his foot. Once satisfied with the result he turned to Gracie, “Let’s go, girl.”  


* * *

 

“You wanted to see me,” she stated coolly as she stood before him in his office. Her hair hung loosely over her right shoulder; exposing the delicate skin of the left side of her neck. Her eyes were passively set on his face and her lips were pressed tightly together in a firm line.

Jace rose from his seat and sidestepped his desk. He took three long strides across the room and opened one of the cabinet-doors of his father’s old cupboard. Bringing out out a nameless bottle which held some alcoholic drink which he poured into a scotch-glass, he then turned toward the doctor with a passive frown set on his face . “I did. You owe me an explanation.”

She turned to face him. “Oh?”

Jace went back to his desk and sat down in the expensive leather chair which used to belong to his father. “This new patient of yours does not need your service,” he stated nonchalantly and took a sip of his drink while eyeing the woman before him.

“Pardon?”

“I want you to out him.”

The doctor narrowed her eyes, hazel orbs turning cold. “You know I can’t do that. My job is to help people. My job is to help _him_.”

An arrogant smile clad the man’s lips as he downed another mouthful of his drink. “The one you should be helping is me. I seem to have a growing problem when I’m around you, if you know what I mean.”

“You’re disgusting!” she growled exasperatedly and took a bold step forward. Slamming her fist down onto his desk, she glared mercilessly at her superior. “Mr. Bagans is staying. He needs my help.”

“Why?” Jace asked, his voice as indifferent as ever. Swirling the copper-colored liquid in his glass he went on and studied the woman before him as he awaited her response.

Avelina remained quiet, her eyes full of emotion and set in a deathly stare. She couldn’t tell him. Couldn’t let him in on her biggest darkest secrets. She couldn’t confide in him, couldn’t share her deepest thoughts with the man in front of her. She couldn’t admit her defeat - her failure, and need to make things right this time around. Her need for Bagans was as big as his need for her.  
  
“Why does he have such a strong hold on you?” Jace continued and rose from his seat. His glass, left forgotten on the cool surface of his desk. Slowly rounding his dark desk, he eventually ended up behind the doctor. “Why do you allow him to touch you?” slim fingers slid slowly up over the bare skin of her left arm. “Why do you feel pulled towards him?” he closed the distance between them by pulling her backwards with his right hand. The other kept its ministries up her arm, up to her shoulder. His fingers left a feather-light trace over her bare skin as they slowly slid upward, sliding closer toward her exposed neck. His breathing came out in shallow breaths, ghosting over her sensitive skin and sending waves of shivers down her spine. “Why do you look at him like you used to look at me?” he growled and in an unguarded moment he had her pinned down against his desk.

The cup of alcohol was knocked off of the desk, shattering into tiny pieces once it hit the floor, spilling the liquid over the floorboards. A muffled cry for help escaped the doctor’s lips as she tried to struggle free from her capturer’s grip.

“No one will hear you,” he breathed close to her ear before he lowered his face another two inches to capture the corner of her lips.

The brown-haired woman writhed underneath Jace’s bigger frame. A sudden surge of panic raced through her body and she stretched her arm out in a desperate search for something to fend him off with. Her fingers danced over the cool surface of his desk as he continued to attack her neck, his teeth biting down on her flesh in a claiming manner. His right hand gripped at the bottom of her skirt, slowly inching its way upwards underneath the silky fabric.

“Stop it!” she pleaded, her voice hoarse and thick with fear. “Jace, I mean it!”

Yanking her skirt up over her hips, he ground his crotch against her bottom. “We’re just having a little bit of fun,” he retorted and suddenly grabbed her hips and flipped her over to face him.

Avelina used that moment to reach for the phone resting on his desk and in a swift motion, she slammed the black dial-up phone hard against the side of his skull, causing the receiver to fly off and go crashing against the wall. Using his sudden moment of disorientation she gave an adrenaline-enforced push against his chest and hurried desperately towards the door.  
  
“You bitch!” his voice boomed from behind her and just as she reached for the handle a dark shadow emerged from the corner of the room. Avelina let out a strangled scream as her fingers finally touched the cool material of the doorknob and while flinging the door open in a hurry to get out of the office, she completely missed the horrified expression set on Jace’s face as he stared straight ahead towards the side of the door which slowly started to close on its own.

The clicking of her heels echoed throughout the empty corridor as she ran. She passed her office, passed the staff-room and the waiting room. Fumbling fingers fought with the locked door to the area where the reception was and once she finally reached the other side of the door, the tears that had threatened to spill finally left their hiding-place at the corners of her eyes. She reached for the bathroom door and flung it open. Not bothering to turn on the lights she shut the door quickly and slowly slid down to the floor with her back resting against the locked door. She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly as she wept. Warm, salty tears fell from her eyes, trailing down her flushed cheeks before falling onto her bare arms. Leaning her forehead against her knees she sobbed quietly, her voice echoing slightly from the sparsely decorated bathroom.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid…” she repeated quietly and pressed her knees more tightly together. She had known what Jace was capable of even before she had entered his office. Sure, he had never gone that far with her before and somehow she’d been sure she would be safe around him. She had once again been too naive and too trusting of people; a trait both loved and hated by many.  


* * *

 

Gracie ran across the open field with her jaws wide open and her tail swaying from side to side as her master threw another stick for her to catch. Her paws dug into the cool grass, leaving small prints of her claws as she sprinted after the stick. Biting down onto the slim piece of wood with a happy growl, she suddenly caught sight of a bigger branch which she decided to bring back to her master instead. One side of the branch scraped across the grass as she made her way back to her owner. The bare twigs leaving a muddy track behind as the greens coating the earth were ripped from their quiet resting-place. Zak bent down to pet his friend, his deep baritone voice praising her whilst his hands slid across her fur in a loving manner.

“Good girl,” he grinned. “Good girl.”

* * *

  
  
Later that evening Zak laid sprawled out across his couch. The TV was on but he paid it no mind. The fluorescent images came and went, casting his living room in different hues of blues and whites while the soft chatting between the shows host and his guest accompanied his otherwise quiet house. He didn’t notice though. His focus was on the fully charged phone in his hands. Flipping through the apps and folders he finally reached his destination and the one thing he’d been curiously dreading since leaving his shrinks office. Pressing play on the recorded file from earlier that day, he brought the phone closer to his ear and listened.

 _“Can you make another noise?”_ his voice sounded through the tiny speaker before shuffling from when he’d placed the device onto the table was heard.  
_“What’s your name?”_ the creaking of the door reached his ears a second time and then nothing but silence was heard. Almost a minute passed before a quiet snap played through the speakers and a cold shiver ran down his spine while goosebumps erupted over his arms as a vicious sounding whisper escaped the speaker. _“…help… me?”_ the last word spoken as a mocking question -followed by a malicious laugh and his voice asking; _“is that you?”_

Zak bolted up straight and stared down at his phone. The hairs on his arms were on edge and an uneasy feeling plastered itself in his gut. Sliding his finger over the glossy surface of his phone, he listened to the recording a second time.

 _“…help… me? Ha-ha-hah-”_  
_“Is that you?”_ shuffling from when he rose from his seat came through. _“Can you please make another noise?”_  
  
Gracie, whom had been sleeping soundlessly on the floor by Zak’s feet, suddenly rose from her spot. The thin layer of fur over her nose wrinkled slightly as she stared toward the hallway; a threatening growl escaping her throat while she resentfully bared her teeth. Her ears were drawn back, the thick fur between her shoulder-blades slightly raised in an attempt to look bigger and more dangerous than she actually was.

Zak glanced toward the empty hallway and slowly reached his hand out toward his dog. Sliding his fingers around her collar, he tugged at it slightly and scooted closer to his pet. “What is it?” he asked quietly and stroked a spot on the dog’s neck with his thumb. “What do you see?”

Another throaty growl left Gracie’s parted jaws and as they both stared toward the hallway, neither noticed the volume icon on the TV going up nor the pale image of a woman standing by the foot of the sofa. Her face thin and grey and her eyes dark like the night. Neither noticed her leaning over the stuffed armrest as she inched closer and closer to the paranormal investigator until she was mere inches away from his ear. A menacing smile played on her lips as she parted them and screamed from the top of her lungs.

Gracie darted out of the room. Her tail stuffed between her legs as they carried her fluffy form into the bedroom. Zak turned around quickly, desperately searching for the remote to the TV when he laid eyes on the female before him. Black goo splurged from her wicked grin and her limbs gave away a sickening crack as she quickly lunged for him.  
  
  
The sun flooded in through the large windows of the living-room the next morning and Gracie carefully made her way out of the bedroom in search of her master. Turning into the living room, she found him sitting quietly on the couch as the noise from the TV roared through its speakers.

Zak tilted his head upwards, a soft crack sounding from his neck as he turned to acknowledge his dog. A wicked grin covered his lips as dark eyes shot to Gracie’s.

“Guess who’s home, bitch.” 


End file.
